The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-05-26
You go to the head man Of your store, and

say:
s'Sir, want to serve you; I want to
oblige you; it is from no lack of industry
on my part, but this thing seems to me to
be wrong, and it is sin against my con-
science. It is a sin against God, ana
beg you, sir, to excuse me.n
He may flush up and swear, but he Will
cool down, and he will have more admira-
ton for you than for those who submit to
his evil dictation; and while they sink
you will rise. Do not, because Of SEEM
ing temporary adversely, give up your
character, young man. Under God, that
is the only thing you have to build on.
Give up that, you give up every thing.
That employer asks young man to hurt
himself for time and for eternity who ex-
poets him to make wrong entry, or
change an invoice, or say goods cost SO
much when they cost less, or impose upon
the verdancy of customer, or misrepre-
sent style of fabric How dare he de-
mand Of you any thing so insolentl
Magnanimity superb They stole the
luster from his eye, and the color from
his cheek, and the honor from his soul,
and then they kicked him out. II such
protested Christian merchants do not 20
straight to hell, don't know any use of
having such a place. o, young men, dis
appoint the expectation of that firm; dis
appoint those customers il these things
are expected OF you. You may sell an
extra case OF goods, you may sell an extra
roll OF silk, but the trouble is you may
h ave to throw your soul to boot in the
bargain.
Again, counsel all clerks to coaq .uer
the trials Of their particular position One
great trial for clerks is the inconsidera-
ton Of customers. There are people who
are entirely polite everywhere else, but
gruh and dictatorial an1 contemplate
when they come into a store to buy any
thing. There are thousands of men and
women who go from store to store to price
things, without any idea Of. purch ase.
They are not satisfied until every roll of
goods Is brought down, and they
have pointed out all the real or
imaginary defects. They try on all
kinds OF kid gloves and stretch
them out of shape, and they
put on all styles Of cloaks and walk to the
mirror to see how it would look, and then
they sail out of the store, saying: 81 will
not take it to-day which means: 81 don't
want it at all - leaving the clerk amid a
confusion of ribbons, AMI laces. and cloths,
to smooth $50 worth of goods-not one
cent OF which did that man or woman buy
or intend to buy. Now call that DIS
honesty on the part Of the customer. If a
boy runs into store and takes roll of
cloth OF the counter and sneaks out in to
the street, you all join in the cry pell-mell:
stop thiefw When see you go into a
store. not expecting to buy anything but
to price things, stealing the time of the
clerk ana stealing the time of his en-
ployer, say, too: s'Stop thiefp' IfIwere
asked which class of persons most need
the grace of God amid their annoyances,
Iwould say: ssDry goods clerks" All the
Indignation OF customers about the high
prices comes on the clerk. For instance:
A great war comes. The manufactures
are closed The people 60 OF to battle.
The price OF goods runs up. A customer
comes into store. Goods have gone up.
'sHow much is that worthi"
"Adollar.''
"a dollari Outrageous A dollar!'
Why, who is to blame for the fact that
it has got to be a dollarl Does the indig.
nation go out to the manufacturers on the
banks of the Merrimac, because they have
closed upa No. Does the indignation go
out toward the employer, who is out at his
country seat. No. It comes on the clerk.
He got up the wari He levied the taxes /
He puts up the rentsl OF course it's the
clerkf
THE PARSIMoNIoUs SIDE.
Then great trial comes to the clerks in
the fact that they see the parsimoni Gus
side Of human nature. You talk about
lies behind the counter--there are Just as
many lies before the counter. Augustine
speaks of man who advertised that he
would, on certain occasion, tell the peo-
pie what was in their hearts. A great
crowd assembled. and he stepped to the
front and said:
II will tell you what is in your hearts:
To buy cheap and sell deari'
O, people of Brooklyl, lay not aside
your urbanity when you come into store.
Treat the clerks like gentlemen and ladies
proving yourself to be gentleman or
lady. Remember, that If the prices are
high and your purse is lean, that is no
fault OF the clerks. And If you have son
or daughter amid those perplexities of
commercial life, and such one comes
home all worn out, be lenient, and know
that the martyr at the stake no more GER
tainly needs the grace Of God than our
young people amid the seven times heated
exasperations Of clerks life
Then there are all the trials which
come to clerks from the treat ment Of in
considerable emp;eyers There are pro-
fessed Christian men in this city who have
no more regard for their clerks than they
have Tor the scales on which the sugars
are weighed. A clerk is no moro than so
much store furniture. No consideration
for their rights or their interests Not one
word OF encouragement from sunrise to
sunset, nor from January to December.
But when any thing goes wrong--a streak
OF dust on the counter, or a box with the
cover of-thunder showers of scolding
Men imperious, capricious, cranky to-
ward their clerks--their whole manner as
much as to say:
"All the interest have in you is to see
what can get out of you.''
Then there are all the trials of incom-
petent wages. Some of you remember
when the war broke out and all mer-
chandise went up, and merchants were
made millionaires in six months by the
simple rise in the value of goods. Did the
clerk get advantage of that risea Some
times, not always. Isaw estates gathered
In those times over which the curse of
God has hung ever since. The cry Of un-
paid men and women in these stores
reached the Lord Of Sabaoth. and
the indinu alton ~ Co,l